The Patriots did their part, but unfortunately for New England, the Broncos didn’t slip up.

The Patriots claimed the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs following a 38-10 victory against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. New England will host the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card Round at Gillette Stadium next weekend with schedule details yet to be announced.

The Broncos, who defeated the Chargers 19-3 in Week 18, earned the No. 1 seed and thus a first-round bye and home-field advantage.

Here’s a look at the AFC playoff picture ahead of a pivotal AFC North matchup...

The New England Patriots didn’t exactly put together one of their best games, but they took care of business on Sunday.

New England overcame some uninspired play in the first half to eventually come away with a 38-10 victory at Gillette Stadium, closing out their regular season schedule and setting up a playoff matchup with a familiar postseason foe.

I’ve got your takeaways:

WHO’S NEXT?

The Patriots finished as the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

It’ll set up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs against everyone but the Denver Broncos, with their wild-card matchup coming next weekend against the...

Everyone is wondering who will win NFL MVP between New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

One guy who knows a thing or two about being in the running for MVP is three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt, who is working as an awesome broadcaster for CBS these days.

On Sunday, Watt didn’t beat around the bush when it came to discussing the 2025 MVP race. Watt, speaking from experience, made a few key points about the current race before landing on his selection: Maye.

“Having been in this (MVP) discussion before,...

It’s not often Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is among the responsible parties on a botched coverage, but it was the case when Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers hit Malik Washington for a second-quarter touchdown at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

And FOX broadcasters Joe Davis and Greg Olsen did their job and called out Gonzalez after the busted coverage, which led to a two-yard score. They did so while making reference to the well-known “Madden” video game.

*Davis: “People were making the Madden comparison with Drake Maye’s game against the Jets. That looked like Madden when you decide to be the corner...

New England Patriots passing game coordinator Thomas Brown could soon be in line for a promotion.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic recently reported on a number of assistant NFL coaches who may earn new titles in the upcoming offseason, including Brown.

“Several young coaches are generating real momentum in league circles, including: – #Broncos Davis Webb – #Jaguars Grant Udinski – #Patriots Thomas Brown,” the senior NFL insider posted on Bluesky.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Brown in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia but the former running back never appeared in a...

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is taking an unsurprising approach to his club’s matchup with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

It’ll be business as usual…

Vrabel isn’t planning on resting any of his healthy starters for the regular season finale, even though his club’s playoff destiny is reliant on multiple factors outside of its control.

“We’re talking about a football team that won eight games in two years,” Vrabel said during his pregame interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub, as transcribed by Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi. “We’re trying to create a culture of winning here.”

The Patriots...

The New England Patriots will wrap up their 2025 regular season on Sunday afternoon, welcoming the Miami Dolphins to Gillette Stadium.

With a playoff birth already clinched, New England just has seeding left to play for. A win over rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Fins would clinch nothing worse than the AFC’s No. 2 seed for the team.

Follow along live down below throughout Sunday’s contest.

Live score: Patriots 0 : 0 Dolphins

Sunday, Jan. 4, 4:25 p.m. ET | Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA | Broadcast information | Inactives | Game day roster

First Quarter

Updates to...

The New England Patriots will close the book on their regular season against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, and they will do so with some reinforcements coming their way. While the headline names are left tackle Will Campbell and defensive tackle Milton Williams, they are not the only starters to return: wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is also back after a one-week absence while in concussion protocol.

With Boutte back in the mix, the Patriots’ wide receiver group again sees some changes. Last week, it had to adapt to losing both him and Mack Hollins by giving extended opportunities to...

One day after activating them from injured reserve to their 53-man roster, the New England Patriots have officially made offensive tackle Will Campbell and defensive tackle Milton Williams active for Sunday’s regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins. It will mark the first time since November that both are on the game day roster.

Campbell suffered a knee injury in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals and spent four weeks on IR, only returning to practice earlier this week. Williams, who hurt his ankle in Week 11 versus the New York Jets, was already eligible to come off the reserve...

The New England Patriots are looking to avoid disaster during their matchup with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Jared Wilson (concussion), Khyiris Tonga (foot), Harold Landry III (knee) and Robert Spillane (ankle) were ruled out prior to the contest at Gillette Stadium, with all four expected to return for the playoffs.

Will Campbell (knee) and Milton Williams (ankle) will return after lengthy absences, however, with both being activated off injured reserve on Saturday. It’ll be the first time both are available since the club’s Week 11 victory over the New York Jets.

The Dolphins previously ruled out running back De’Von...

Former New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is back to his usual antics, once again attacking MVP front-runner Drake Maye.

This iteration of the Newton tantrum included calling Maye a “game manager” and blaming him for the firing of former Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo.

All of Patriots nation stands with their 23-year-old phenom quarterback, and that apparently also includes two-time Super Bowl champion Asante Samuel.

Samuel, now 44 years old, was a part of New England’s back-to-back Super Bowl-winning seasons in 2003 and 2004.

He took to X to go on a multiple-post rant with the intent of invalidating...

The Seattle Seahawks won their regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, beating the Niners 13-3 in Santa Clara to win the NFC West and secure the No. 1 seed for the NFC playoffs.

It was the 14th win of the season for Seahawks and Sam Darnold, who finished the year 14-3. It’s the second straight 14-win season for Darnold, who also won 14 games with the Minnesota Vikings last year.

Darnold is just the second quarterback in NFL history with back-to-back 14-win seasons, joining New England Patriots legend Tom Brady.

While Darnold’s feat is impressive, especially since...